MY STYLE PAO BHAJI

THERE IS HEAVY DOWNPOUR AT THIS TIME, I AM TIRED!

This morning, I went to Vincent's chamber only to know he is in the chamber that is near our home, where I used to go for 12 years! Thursday, all day he stays at the Hougang Avenue-1 chamber! If that is 3km from our home, the near one is half a kilometre! But I have to go where they have my insurance coverage! Vincent's mother was there but I am been under Vincent's treatment ever since his father was alive! The assistant sisters there asked me to come in the afternoon between 2pm & 5pm & I had a blogpost to write! It may seem to you I earn from my blog but I do not, I wish I could! I again came back walking to our nearest mall, had my weekly neck-shoulder-back massage done, came back home around 12-30 pm! I told Cristine I must finish off visiting him today itself, may she look for the buses that go there; I cannot walk in the sun again! I went by one bus & came by another and you all know how comfortable Vincent makes his patients feel! By the afternoon, his mother leaves! Every month, I would take little something; a biscuit packet & a tea or coffee or juice packs for the sisters there, they refuse! I ask not to deny, its a small gesture on my part, I do the same for them at the Kushi's too! At Kushi's, some girls are from India staying alone here, I feel for them! Around 4 pm, I was out of the chamber & treated myself with an egg tart whilst waiting for the bus!

And look, how beautiful dosas Cristine made for me! I ate all four with the sesame dip! I served dosa to T this morning which were not this good! Cristine has real interest in cooking!

WHAT WOULD BE MY DINNER?

Yes, I would talk to you in terms of food because food is life for me! Uff! I cannot tolerate the noise the rain is making, it never generates romanticism in me! Thank God, I was back home before it started! Because of my frozen shoulder condition, I do not carry an umbrella always! Vincent asked me not to go for chiropractic treatment at this time, even I am scared of that! Before starting with the expensive physiotherapy, acupuncture, etc. I am trying with massage, cupping & stretches! The pain was almost gone, is it the swimming that revived the pain in the last few days? Just an hour back, I was talking to Maria, the lady at foodaholic.biz, the family is having this ailment and that! We were trying to catch up for few days, was not happening! I do not know why these people almost stopped blogging; they enjoyed much of royal treatment in G+, I get the reason! At times, I feel a mediocre like me has less of expectations; we are happy easily, we keep going! This morning I clicked these clips on my way!

Minton is a condominium I wished to stay whilst working in that school, just a five minutes walk! I thought I would never leave that job; but I cannot do what I do not enjoy! Neither it was high paying nor I have that in me that a woman should be self respecting enough to work! Minton's rent is a bit high, it was under construction in 2015, T did not agree because both Kovan & Serangoon Mrt were about 12-15 minutes walk from it! I must visit soon their cafeteria, tomorrow or later? Next week, I have two sets of guests, tomorrow I may not shop! T would not have dinner tonight! Cristine wants only coffee & cake! I would have a little of "rice, lote mach er jhuri, stale re-heated beguni, lentils, salad"! No wonder, I look like a round barrel & never chiselled!

My bi-yearly medical report is okay, except for the fact that the sugar level has to be lessened a bit!

WHAT IS THIS MY STYLE PAO BHAJI?

Bhaji can be referred to as stir fry vegetables, that in Hindi! Bhaji is not a Bengali word, Bhaja is! I simply detest if on this day anyone break their head over language & region within their own country! Such separatist mentality I cannot tolerate, they definitely have enough time to indulge in all these, that again means they are not much into any fruitful activity! My son has to be an outwardly cosmopolitan being having friends from all over the world who dream big, be in touch with the world of sports, discuss current affairs! What is that sitting idle & talking about regional biases, idiotic mentality! I have a couple of Bengali Food pictures sitting in my photo album; I am unable to blog about them unless people sitting in Bengal mend their ways & stop irritating me! Also irritating are the monotonous pictures of the combos like "Pao & Bhaji" or "Bhature & Chole!" I mean why cannot we mix & match? It was last September, two weeks before the Durga Pooja that there were some renovations going on in our rented space and Cristine was caught with Covid19! That day, they took over the kitchen & I decided on this for the self, Cristine & T as our lunch! Any viral attack numbs your tastebud, I was trying to serve Cristine some quick, tasty food with spice & health stirred in together! I cooked my bhaji with lots of vegetables, healthy ones & had with Pao! I used a store bought Pao Bhaji masala for this gluten-free recipe MY STYLE PAO BHAJI! Butter plays a pivotal role in this dish, you can skip & make it vegan, I would not recommend because I cannot eat it without the butter added!

INGREDIENTS :

BROCCOLI : 1 SMALL

CARROT : 1

POTATO : 2

CHOPPED TOMATO : 2

GREEN PEA : 1/4 SMALL TEA CUP

CORN : 1/4 SMALL TEA CUP

ONION : 2 MEDIUM SIZED

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TBSP

CHOPPED CORIANDER : 1/2 SMALL TEACUP

PAO BHAJI MASALA : 1 TBSP

CUMIN POWDER : 1 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

DRY MANGO POWDER : 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP

GINGER PASTE : 1 TBSP

GARLIC PASTE : 1 TBSP

SUGAR : 1 TSP [OPTIONAL]

SALT : AS REQUIRED

BUTTER : 25 GM TO GARNISH

OIL : 2-3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

I am fond of Everest brand spice mixes! We would cut off the broccoli into small florets, peel & cut the carrot into cubes! We would wash both along with the corn & green peas! We would marinate them with salt & turmeric!

We would peel, wash & slice the onions; wash & chop the tomatoes & green chillies!

In a wok, we would heat the oil & temper it with the cumin seeds! We would add the sliced onion & stir cook until golden brown keeping the flame at low! 

We would add the ginger+garlic pastes+turmeric powder+salt & stir fry for 3-4 minutes at minimal heat! We would add all the powdered spices except the dry mango powder & Pao bhaji masala, the tomato cubes, a small cup of water & stir cook until they melt!

We would add the marinated vegetables mixture & fold in well! We would cover the wok with a lid!

Meanwhile, we would wash, boil, peel, mash the potatoes! We would wash & chop the coriander leaves too!

We would keep checking the vegetables in the wok & mash with a masher! At this point the flame would be at minimal! 

After about 15 minutes of cooking, we would add the mashed potatoes, chopped coriander & chillies, Pao Bhaji masala, dry mango powder, a small cup of water, fold in well! We would cover cook at minimal flame for 7-8 minutes! 

We would remove the cover; add the sugar if using, adjust the salt and stir well! We would transfer it to a bowl & drizzle with the butter! We would mix it well, serve & have with any variety of bread actually!

SPICY SESAME DIP

I HAD A RELAXING SWIMMING SESSION SOMETIME BACK!

That I did after spending almost an entire day! As I said, I do not know what I do since the morning until past noon! Actually, it is the updates of the old blogposts that keep me busy! The exercise of cooking from my blog & clicking way better than before gives me a sense of pleasure, satisfaction that can equate a romantic entourage of meeting your ex after many moons! Well, my beloved son, man, family, friends, the rest may be reading this but truth is always the right path, it keeps complications at bay! On this day, I refuse to get stuck & brood, I have so much to do! I want to cook & cook more; be a caring aunty to the kids staying here all by themselves, I want to click food & tread to different directions within the island; all alone, click nature & my self amidst it! I had a happier swimming session down below because I met coach Joe, a friend who I respect! He scolded me for not swimming as per rules! I went down as late as 5 pm, hence he was there with the kids! The coaches start coming around 3-3:30 pm! I try to finish off by 4pm because the kids not only learn, they enjoy jumping & playing around! I believe we should give way to the younger generation, I only expect them to be respectful towards their elders! The son was too well behaved in school or towards our friends but would always howl at mumma, does even at Babai if he bothers him much! He went after his father; you get ultimate freedom in their association but you cannot bother them by any means! I do not know if the son was equally well behaved in the high school here, some of his teacher told he is too quiet, he would not want to take part in discussions! In his urge to go to that country, he lost interest here in the 11th & 12th standards! How he picked up from a no grade in Computer Science to an A grade within two semesters is commendable indeed! In Business Administration, he is doing good from the beginning, we are looking forward to his April's grades! 

I ATE "JHALMURI" RIGHT AT 6:18 PM TODAY!

I am sure I would not have any discomfort in the stomach for having it! Homemade is safer; I added "chanachur" & mustard oil in moderation! Also you should eat when hunger sets in & keep some space in the stomach once you finish! Over eating has caused me the maximum stomach ailment, to over eat is a mental disease!

Ask me, what are those two balls? Those are "Roshbora"; a vegan, gluten-free dessert, my blogpost got updated! I think they required to be fried more! If in the morning I had lemon grass infused sugar-free tea, that is black, sugar-free kopi I was having in the evening! Yesterday, we had such a soul satisfying lunch with "echor er dalna, katla mach er kalia, mushurir dal tomato diye"! Some two weeks back, I got in hand that fabulous quality & tasted Bengal Carp, I still have some uncooked pieces! The problem is we do not get this good tasted regular here!

Yesterday afternoon, all of a sudden I felt the smell of a fresh focaccia bread is engulfing my senses! I never have made a focaccia bread, may be tasted it rarely here in a cafeteria! I thought I must try something similar, and below was our dinner last night! We thoroughly enjoyed it; the bread tasted like a focaccia, though not exactly it was it! Many of you know how beautiful the smell & taste of a freshly made bread is! It was crisp on the top & soft textured; the flavour was from the Italian herb mix I sprinkled on the top! The salad I like is the simplest; tomato tossed in salt & pepper!

When I am not cooking, my headphone is plugged in! I love being submerged in music; of my choice!

WHAT IS THIS SPICY SESAME DIP?

This was exactly on my mind to go with the fresh bread last night! T does not eat salad, but in a restaurant he would at times! I think today's is the simplest recipe I would be updating in the blog & it tasted truly good! It is neither a Tahini Sauce or a Korean Sesame Sauce or a Japanese Goma Dare! You may say when a Bengali fails to get a "posto bata" on the plate, he or she would go to this extent of making a "til-lanka-peyaz bata" & give it a coverage of dip, call it SPICY SESAME DIP! It is vegan & gluten-free & almost no-cook except for the roasting of the seeds & whole spices part! If it was with a freshly baked bread last night, it would definitely be with piping hot steamed rice tomorrow! Please do not get confused with the stepwise pictures, later I felt I need more of chillies & a clove of garlic to make it perfect; hence! Okay, the rustic I am, a mustard oil would suited me in the garnish more than the olive oil!

INGREDIENTS :

WHITE SESAME SEED : 50 GM

PEANUT : 1 TBSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5 [ADJUST YOUR'S]

GARLIC CLOVE : 1 OR 2

ONION : 1

SALT : 1/4 TSP

OLIVE OIL : 1 TBSP TO GARNISH

PROCEDURE :

In a dry wok; toast the white sesame seeds, skinless peanuts, dry red chillies at low heat for 4-5 minutes! Be careful, they need not burn!

Once cool, take them in a strainer & wash; transfer to a blender! To it, add 3-4-5 green chillies, peeled & washed onion cubes, peeled & washed clove of garlic, 1/2 small tea cup of water!

Blend to a fine paste, pausing & scrapping the sides in between! Transfer to a serving bowl & garnish with the olive oil!

It would go with various kinds of fresh, warm breads! A desi soul would like it with piping hot steamed rice too!

COCONUT FLOUR HALWA

I AM UNABLE TO WRITE MY BLOGPOSTS IN THE MORNINGS!

I am trying to recollect how I could write a blogpost when the school going son was around & now I cannot manage time! It is ridiculous & unbelievable to others that on this day, a sit at home whose son lives elsewhere, who has a full time help as good as Cristine cannot manage time! The entire morning what I do I cannot explain you! Hailing from a disciplined family, I forgot all about the word! Also my brother was never fond of the word, that home too ceased to become time bound! But trust me, I am happily engaged! Today, after arranging two sets of pictures & doing the morning prayer session, I looked at the watch & it was 2:30 pm! I strongly wished to go for a swim, but Thursdays, I usually go for either a massage or a massage+cupping session! Fridays are meant for shopping for the raw produce! Also, I had to go to Kovan for a flower pot, they are cheaper there! The empty ones we have at home are not fitting the purpose! It was pricking heat, also I was off because both the places I go for a neck-shoulder-back massage were fully occupied today! You have a massage parlour at every nook & corner here, but the charges matter to me! My mentality is middle class & I am a miser!

This was the swimming pool which was under construction when I went for my driving classes there in 2016, there beside had a Comfort Delgro Centre! When we shifted from Hougang, I wanted their centre near home but they told me to continue there in Kovan as my start point! I think I have forgotten driving! The construction site you see, there used to be 6-7 nurseries! I have to visit the Katong Flower Market sooner! On my way back, I stopped once at a bus stop, then started walking again & to the massage parlour, did cupping & massage!

WHAT DID I COOK THIS MORNING?

Starting today & for one month; T would eat his breakfast & set out for his office! He would not carry lunch box because he feels awkward to eat in front of his thirsty colleagues! He ate his favourite "dim sheddo-aloo sheddo gola bhaat", later I cooked chirer polao for myself, updated the blogpost! I followed our mother's recipe, only that she does not use turmeric powder! Back home, around 6:30 pm, I ate it with the sugar & milk free Kashmiri Tea! 

I would later share the link of the blogpost, because the son does not eat it, mumma does not wish to make much of noise about it! We love semolina halwa, rajma curry, ghugni too much, I do not get why the son dislikes certain variety of beans! How I resisted myself from treating at least with little something from outside, bypassing the Kovan Mall, one of the biggest in this island was difficult! I bought instead those fruits they are calling tiny Thai Mango!

It is tasting somewhere between Apricot & Mango; the skin tastes that of a mango, the seed too is hairy! Yesterday for dinner, we had fried rice & egg drop curry combo! In the evening, I had to go to meet someone; actually cooked those in the day time!

WHAT IS THIS COCONUT FLOUR HALWA?

This was again the result of a mistake, I was actually trying to cook a gluten-free, vegan malpua / deep fried pancake from the mixture! The mixture I made with coconut flour, rice flour, finger millet / ragi flour! The fennel seed stands testimony of what I say! I simply failed to manage the batter in a pool of hot oil! May be the Almighty did not want me to use that amount of oil on that very day! I am not the kind who would waste such a delicious batter, it was tasting like Satyanarayan er Shinni! I was a primary school goer & the brother a toddler, when our mother had to plead to the landlord to allow their terrace for the purpose, later she could do in her own home! We live in a rented space with no interference from the landlord but this special prayer needs to be done in an open area! I fear to offer Shinni to my God Family, if they get angry? They say, yearly once it is good to have a Satyanarayan Puja at home! The thing is I did not keep the batter to have as Shinni but turned it onto an easy made, vegan, gluten-free warm dessert; COCONUT FLOUR HALWA! It is gooey & low on sweet! One of my favourite childhood breakfast had been to have "chatu-muri-kola-chini_dudh", the Neogy Family gave me big packets sattu / chatu before leaving for Abu Dhabi! I am soon to have my first meals with the above mentioned, may skip the sugar or add a little!

INGREDIENTS :

COCONUT FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

FINGER MILLET FLOUR : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

RICE FLOUR : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

FENNEL SEED : 1 TSP

SUGAR : 4-5 TBSP [I USED BROWN SUGAR]

GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4

CINNAMON STICK : 2-3 SMALL SIZED

CLOVE : 3-4

BAYLEAF : 1

OIL : 3-4 TBSP [GHEE WOULD IMPART A LOVELY FLAVOUR]

I USED RAISIN, ROASTED PISTACHIO & CASHEW NUT TO GARNISH

PROCEDURE :

Take all the three flours, sugar, fennel seeds in a bowl & whisk well! Add enough to prepare a smooth batter!

Heat the oil in a wok; add the bayleaf, cloves, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms & give a stir!

Add the mixture to the wok, fold in well & continuously stir at minimal heat! This is the step we need patience in this otherwise easy recipe!

When the dessert is done, the mixture would tend to leave the sides, we would add the roasted dry fruits & mix well, leaving some to garnish!

We would transfer it to a bowl, garnish with the rest of the roasted dry fruits! Having fresh gives us the best taste of it!

 

A RUSTIC COOK'S CINNAMON BUN

 WHAT A LAZY MONDAY IT SEEMS!

I actually have decided not to go out for a walk today, swim instead! If I go out I feel like having my first meal outside! I have my first meal post 4-4:30pm & I am not in the mood to hurriedly write & finish my blogpost in the day time, let me stretch it all day long! Also, the baked cinnamon buns & the paneer tikki are to be done away with today! The situation is such, T would have whatever fancy I cook but he wants it one time! That is right in the sense you cannot serve a homemade fresh bake after three or four days or keep reheating & having a kebab! The thing is how much of less amount I cook, it stays; both T & Cristine are small eaters; I am the one who eats the maximum not wanting to waste! It is 1:05 pm right now, would write until 2 pm & go down for a swim, the weather is sunny! Thereafter, I would have a good shower, do the afternoon prayer & again sit to write with chai or coffee, bun, paneer tikki! I wish to visit those Irani Cafes for the milk tea & bun maska! I may get acidity from the milk tea; but have noticed if it is a masala tea or a ginger tea, I do not get ill in all cases! Does Kolkata have a Parsi Cafe? I would be visiting our city end of April, T has just sent my ticket! What I get is Kolkata has Irani food serving places, not exactly the Irani Cafe chain! I see an Irani Chai place at Howrah! I limit myself to few destinations in Kolkata, the Southern fringe is yet unknown to me; Howrah is a far at sight thing! I do not go too far in the city as I am comfortable taking only public transport there when alone! Yes, Singapore is such a secured place that it robs you of your confidence!

WE LOVE OUR HOME & NEVER GET BORED!

May be because we are happy with our gadgets, T with his television; I with my cell phone! The son too has gone after us; he does party with the friends but not frequently! Mumma was smiling watching him washing his clothes in the evening or the utensils in the dishwasher! I do not believe a dishwasher can clean a "kadai", "korai", "wok" as good as the housemaids in Bengal! Our mother kinds of would not use non-stick woks regular! Rujuta Diwekar has her own line of followers! Rujuta is good! Longtime, I did not visit her stream! But I did make a atta-maida-makki flour mix paratha last night for us; in between all the series & movies we had been watching! 

Roti-Prata is a regular thing in our family; we prefer them with less oil & thin! The multigrain litti I cooked last month caused me stomach ailment! T enjoyed it, I am not that fond of Bati or litti; I have a thing for Middle Eastern Breads; love them all! What I had sometime back are these!

I and Cristine finished off the leftovers, I wished for a sunny side up today! I had all those with the Kashmiri Pink tea! I do not have the specific tea the way they have it; gradually I developed the taste for having it milk & sugar free! After having the huge platter above, I saw the sunny weather turning cloudy, it started to rain with thunders! I made some "muri makha"; had with black, sugar-free coffee! I felt like & ate, thereafter I suffer from guilt, more when I see great bodied men & women around!

You cannot just ask me to sacrifice everything I love? Can you? I would have if my looks & body got me lakhs & crores of rupees! It's okay to share with you my sweaty, odd self else!

I do not exercise enough; had I have, then combined with an intermittent fasting, I would have gotten a well sculpted body! I simply dislike my hanging belly & thunderous thighs; but the love for food is stronger than that hate! I make good "murimakha" but once you add cucumber & tomato to it, the puffed rice loses it's crunch! I prefer roasted peanuts over chanachur in muri!

WHAT IS THIS A RUSTIC COOK'S CINNAMON BUN?

Besides loving to cook rustic, homely Bengali recipes; I enjoy doing simple bakes! If you are expecting an expert baker's expression in these cinnamon buns, you won't be happy! I break the steps of bake into simpler forms as much as possible & use ordinary mediums getting them! But I do them with as much love & sincerity! Look at the number of utensils I washed being used to bake those vegetarian cinnamon buns! 

It was a Sunday & Cristine was not at home! Sunday is usually my free day & I just cannot sit idle! I feel better doing something whilst watching a series or movie! For a couple of years now, I had been watching various videos on the making of cinnamon buns, focaccia, soda breads! I cannot even follow the steps, do's & don'ts mentioned in an ace baker's video or written recipe! I get to be the coolest one whilst taking up a baking project; some days I fail! On days I do a pretty good job, I get it to the blog & name the vegetarian bake A RUSTIC COOK'S CINNAMON BUN! If you fear baking, do along with me a cinnamon bun low on sugar & serve your family the freshest of bread & cake, it need not have the perfection of a renowned bakery, it has to cook well!

INGREDIENTS :

REFINED FLOUR : 1 1/2 COFFEE MUG

ACTIVE DRY BAKER'S YEAST : 11 GM SACHET

LUKEWARM MILK : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

SUGAR : 1 TSP + 2TSP [YOU CAN USE MORE]

SALT : 1/2-1/3 TSP

CINNAMON POWDER : 1TBSP + 1TSP

MELTED BUTTER : 2-3 TBSP [I USED A BIT OF OLIVE OIL TOO]

PROCEDURE :

Take the refined flour+salt in a bowl & mix well! To the lukewarm milk, add the sugar & mix! Stir in the dry yeast & let it rise to double! 

Add 2 tbsp of melted butter, 1 tbsp of olive oil, the liquid to the flour mix & prepare a sticky dough! I required a little of extra lukewarm water!

Cover the dough & keep in a warm place for an hour or little more!

Remove the cover once the dough has doubled! Take it on a floor dusted kitchen top and knead smooth just enough! 

Roll it & dust with cinnamon & sugar, spread well! Roll it tight!

Cut the roll, keeping each piece moderately thick, tap a bit! Grease a container with some butter or oil! Place the uncooked buns in the container!

Mix together the rest of the melted butter & oil, cinnamon powder, sugar & mix well! Brush with it atop the uncooked buns!

Preheat the oven, I used a mini oven toaster! I baked them for 40 minutes at 180*C!

I was more pleased with the outcome of the second batch! Brush the tops with the cinnamon powder+sugar+butter mixture before serving! They taste the best hot & fresh!

ECHOR ER BHARTA

IT IS 6:45PM LOCAL TIME; I HAVE NOT YET WRITTEN A LINE!

I was truly busy all day! In the morning, I went out to shop for the raw materials, but locally! Tomorrow, in the day time I would be cooking, evening I would go out for a chitchat! What I see is, the need for raw produce have lessened! Not that the son ate like a monster; my men in fact are not the kinds who want elaborate meals, they are meat or fish  with pilaf or bread kinds of! It is I who requires "kochur bharta to shojne datar chocchori" besides her meat & fish! I can have a vegetarian meal on this day given I get to cook with my choice of vegetables; I am not fond of beetroot, carrot, bell peppers, zucchini made veggies! I am a rustic Bengali in this matter! I am not really the one who wants to go to an eatery or restaurant for a Bengali meal! I have mental blocks if I am not having boneless fish outside, did they wash the blood well or cleaned the scales properly? How I rebelled when the parents requested me not to eat non-vegetarian meals whilst on travel! T too prefers dry, simple meals while on travel! We are seriously considering Airbnb stays given I cannot have burgers, this & that on each meal! I did enjoy cooking on our last visit, the son staying nearby was a motivation enough! But safety & security can be an issue with Airbnb, it would not be as good as the standard hotels! I wish to travel every three months but T is not that keen at this time, he has responsibilities & he is not fond of short tours! I just look forward to gateways even if for few days!

BACK HOME I DID SOME FRUITFUL JOB!

I updated some older blogposts, may not be always with new clicks but editing the old ones! That takes a lot of time! I ate my first meal post 5:30 pm, okay, I had a low sugar cookie around 4pm, was feeling hungry! Stale kunefe does not taste good, it is to be eaten fresh! Cristine made those sabudana fritters in an appe pan! The drink is "bel-doi er shorbot"!

Yes, it is wrong to have this amount of carb & starch but how can I rob myself of all the happiness? I try to bind myself within the limit of two meals! I could have got better results if I could finish off with the dinner by 7pm but I do not wish to eat before T! I have no idea about the son's schedule, what I saw is he follows no schedule! Mumma is yearning to go this summer; given he is refusing to come over! We would have if we could stay with him; else there is no point! We will pay a huge rent is one thing; we cannot spend as much time with the son even after the expenses is our main concern! The son is at far, I do not have the liberty to keep eating all day; it becomes a challenge at times; that too in a nation that is synonymous with food! A big food fair is going on in our neighbourhood mall!

I think it's of Japanese & Korean food; because I would not eat, I did not see minutely! Not that I always feel like eating these days; T prefers home cooked food! The son who would smile whenever mumma got him food & drinks might have limited his food intake, this thought hurts me! I wish to treat whoever known kids stay here without their parents! It feels a bit good to be able to update few older blogposts, editing the text, pictures; I should have done some homework before starting to blog! 2024 would mark ten years of my blogging; I may not have reached heights of fame nor my blog has got to be an exclusive one but it fills my heart with joy! Through my blog, I get to communicate with many people; virtual connections work good for introverts! The good part is that my family recipes are getting  stored at one place; also the various recipes I have learnt!

WHAT IS THIS ECHOR ER BHARTA?

Echor is raw jackfruit in Bengali; a family favourite vegetable we eat all through the summer & then comes it's ripe form! Many Bengalis may not prefer it's ripe avatar but a spicy treat with raw jackfruit is favourite with even a vegetable hater! It is a good alternative to meat & is called "gach patha", vegetarian meat among us! I cook spicy  to even light curries with tomato using young jackfruits! These days, they are sold skin off in the markets! In our childhood, how tough it was for our mothers to cut the hard cover of it, then dressing it! I believe its totally worth the effort! This vegan, gluten-free recipe I cooked using raw jackfruit & potato with a good dosage of onion & spice powders; can be a delightful side dish; I named it ECHOR ER BHARTA! It is just a little aberration from the regular curry, using normal Bengali kitchen ingredients!

INGREDIENTS :

RAW JACKFRUIT : 300-400 GM

POTATO : 1 LARGE

SLICED ONION : A SMALL BOWLFUL

SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

CUMIN POWDER : 1 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER : 1/2 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

DRY MANGO POWDER : 1/2 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

BAY LEAF : 1

CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 1 OR 2 HALVED

PROCEDURE :

We get cut raw jackfruit these days is true; yet there is much of dressing to do! We would cube them, throw off the yellow coverage of the seeds, the hard mid section! We would do it rubbing oil in both of our palms! The raw fruit releases a sticky gum like thing!

We would wash it well; also peel & cut half the potatoes! We would take both the washed vegetables in a pressure cooker; add half of the turmeric, some salt & enough water! We would close tight the lid & pressure cook at minimal heat unto 2-3 whistles & switch off the gas stove!

Once cool, we would open the lid, strain the water! We would use a masher or use our right hand palm to mash the boiled vegetables but not totally!

We would heat the oil in a wok & temper with the cumin seeds, dry red chillies, slitted green chillies, bay leaf! We would give a stir & add the washed sliced onion!

We would stir fry the onions until brown & add the mashed vegetables! We would add the cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, the rest of the turmeric powder! We would fold in well & keep stirring!

After 5-6 minutes of stir cooking at low heat, we would add the dry mango powder, adjust the salt! We would fold in well & stir for another 2-3 minutes!

We should be done! It goes well with both piping hot steamed rice & hot chapatis or paratha!

 

BROCCOLI KAJU KISHMISH DIYE CHITOI PITHA

 IT IS 12:45 PM AT THIS TIME, I FELT LET ME WRITE MY BLOGPOST!

I had been thinking since last night, if I have my first meal post 4:30pm; mostly outside of home, why cannot I go out of home at that time, have my food, sit in the eatery for sometime or in any bench underneath a tree or at a bus stop for sometime & then do the walking ; head back home by 7:30pm-8pm? Even if I come at 10pm, no one would say anything! T & T's television make a good pair, Cristine is there to provide cheese & whisky or beer, cigarettes! If the world leaders could think above the earnings for their respective nations & ban tobacco altogether, I would have been the happiest person! I remain in constant fear about the son picking up such bad habits from his father; because my brother has taken up! Two to three years back I used to write my blogposts in the daytime right? What made me shift it to the evenings I do not remember! Since childhood, I had been an unmindful person at home, in the roads, everywhere! With age, the condition aggravated! I cannot remember most of the things or I may have a selective memory, I remember what I want to! T thinks the last one holds true! I have never known the son's assessment of his mother, his secretive self gets on my nerves! I never push him away, though I feel frustrated at times. This I have learnt from my mother, to remain loyal to one's children, this got her a good life! Also, the father lived his life in his own terms & made a happy exit! His daughter-in-law loved him more than a daughter can! What else could my parents ask for; given they were too middle-class without any aspirations! 

WHAT ARE MY PLANS TODAY?

Nothing as such! It may not be just another Monday for me, cannot be but I tremendously dislike going gaga about specific dates in social media! It causes too much of an irritation in me these days! Aging might be a reason & we continuously keep evolving! In my case; I have seen, the more I age, more I feel keep aloof from what does not suit me! I try to keep my cool in most of the cases, though I think I need to work more in this area! Today morning, I made some humble chapati to go with the reheated pointed gourd & potato curry; people got mango too! I would have one small chapati with the curry, then go out & have coffee or tea with little something sitting in a food court! That's for a happier self! Next, I wish to do brisk walk, come back home & share this Bengali recipe in different forums! Thereafter, we would have a choice of dinner with "pabda mach, shutki mach er torkari, dal"; the day demands us to have homely Bengali Food! In fact, I have at least ten to twelve authentic Bengali rustic recipes one of which could have been shared today! But something is stopping me from sharing those! What I share has to be Bengali in essence, a bit modified so I can say; okay world, you can go & cook, have it!

WHAT IS THIS BROCCOLI KAJU KISHMISH DIYE CHITOI PITHA?

Pitha is a Bengali term which can be pancakes to fritters; steamed or fried! Not I but the wiki translates it as this! As a Bengali, I am not even bothered about analysing what it means, winter is just synonymous with "pithe-puli" among us, the forefathers brought with them the skill of making a wide variety of them! I see the present day Bangladesh making even more variety of pitha / savoury & sweet pancakes, dumpling, fritters! I appreciate that they are versatile with regards to having those; like with vegetarian & non-vegetarian sides! But in our family, pitha making is strictly a vegetarian affair! I am unwilling to break that rule as of now! This particular recipe of Pitha is almost oil-free, how beautiful it sounds; minimal oil pancakes? To have those  pancakes for your breakfast, you would not mind a bit of rice intake, may I say that? To it's original self, I have made some inputs adding broccoli, chopped raisins & cashew nuts to the batter, call it fusion food! Also, I have used store bought rice flour for the purpose whilst traditionally soaking, half drying & grinding the rice is  demanded! But I was trying a simplified recipe, also wished to be more & more inclusive today! There are a couple of YouTube videos I consulted who insisted store bought rice flour would get the same fluffy mid section without using cooked rice paste! But I could not get the desired fluffier middle in all of them but they were soft on the top with a crisp bottom as chitoi pitha / savoury Bengali rice cakes should be! Then, who can stop me from sharing this vegan, gluten-free, savoury snack on stovetop; BROCCOLI KAJU KISHMISH DIYE CHITOI PITHA? The following were my first meals today & wow, I baked a cake too!

The middle picture is of Kueh Pie Tee, I loved the taste filled with turnip, eggs & a chilli sauce!

INGREDIENTS :

RICE FLOUR : 1 1/2 COFFEE MUG

FINELY CHOPPED BROCCOLI : 1 MEDIUM TEA CUP [I USED SHREDDER]

FINELY CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TBSP

CHOPPED RAISIN : 2 TSP

CHOPPED CASHEW NUT : 2 TSP

CRUSHED BLACKPEPPER : 1/2 TSP

BAKING POWDER : 1/3 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 1 TBSP + A LITTLE TO BRUSH

PROCEDURE :

We would wash the broccoli well & mince or shred the heads using whatever suits us! We would also mince the washed green chillies, chop the cashew nuts & raisins!

In a bowl we would take the rice flour & salt, mix well! We would gradually add lukewarm water to get a consistency of batter which would not be paste like, neither runny! We would keep it covered for sometime!

We would remove the cover & add the broccoli bits, chopped green chillies, chopped raisins & cashew nuts & mix well! Thereafter, we would add the baking powder, crushed black pepper & oil, fold in well!

Now, the batter is ready to cook!

We would heat the wok, a deep, round one & brush with a little of oil! The wok needs to be really hot to cook them! 

We would pour a standard sized round spoonful & cover immediately! Each one may take 2-3-4 minutes to cook! The  cooking should be done at medium to low heat, given the wok is really hot!

For every 2-3 rice pancakes, brush the wok centre with oil! Serve & have them fresh & hot!

These rice cakes are meant to rise more at the centre, but mine were really soft at the top & crisp at the bottom! Also, the authentic recipe do not ask for adding any extra ingredients in the batter! 

You can go ahead with mine & enjoy with any curry, sauce, chutney, pickle! I served T with mayo & sour-spicy mango pickle, I had them with a sweet mango pickle!